Under the Maple Tree
by GengaJupite
Summary: What does it mean to exist? Life begins and then it ends. Felix is unable to come to terms with the anomaly that is life, and sets a goal to help himself understand. Mia resolves to help him see it through and together they search for the answers to existence, life, and the human soul, discovering some things along the way and losing others as well. Softship threeshot.
1. Past: Seed

Time to start a new story? Why, yes, I believe it is time to do so! It's been pretty much a year since I wrote anything that wasn't a oneshot for Golden Sun, so I'm happy to say that I'm back :). While this will only be a threeshot, I'll _finally_ be starting on the WiH parallel after this, so I'm guessing that sometime before the start of March is when that will begin (Fun Fact: WiH ended at the end of February last year, so it'll be like I jumped one year into the future and continued where I left off :P).

Something to note with this one: it could be considered semi AU, I guess. I didn't want to specify any sort of time or even a location, so you can kind of take this one simply as a story – nothing more, nothing less.

Anyway, I know **Droory** has been kinda waiting for this one, so I'll just get to it now.

Disclaimer: I do not own Golden Sun. All rights go to its respective owners, Camelot and Nintendo.

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_**Under the Maple Tree**_

_~Past: Seed~_

_What happens to the wind when its journey comes to a halt? Does it become one with the air or simply cease to exist? Can that without being meld with the harmony of the world? Unseen, unfelt, unnoticed; that which once was becomes that which never existed…_

Cherry blossoms. A pink flurry of silky petals, the blossoms danced along the gentle spring breeze, fluttering down upon the greenery that painted the scene. Small ripples were left in their wake as each blossom descended onto the large pond, fashioning themselves into small, flowery boats.

Standing alone at the edge of the water was a man, wearing only a simple set of clothing and a cape to add some personal flair. His long, dark hair fell loosely behind his shoulders, with only a low ponytail to merely assist in keeping it together. Holding out a gloved hand, his dark irises examined a single cherry blossom as it fell perfectly into his palm.

It was beautiful, and yet it saddened him to see. Within a week, this untainted flower would wilt and disappear without a trace until this time in the following year. What was the point? What purpose did this beautiful cherry blossom serve? To be seen and marveled at for its pleasant qualities, only so that it could perish soon after…

He sighed as another gentle breeze blew by and carried the blossom atop his hand along with it. Allowing his hand to drop to his side, his attention was stolen by the presence of another.

"O-Oh, I'm sorry, Felix," the approaching woman said timidly, keeping her eyes averted from his. "Did…you want to be alone?"

"It's fine, Mia," the man, Felix, responded to her gruffly. Turning his attention back to the blossoms on the pond, he hardly even noticed as his shy companion silently moved to stand beside him.

The two stood in silence as they watched the pond ripple with each new flower. Mia brushed a few petals from her aqua-coloured locks, running her pale fingers through to comb them out. Felix watched her from the corner of his eye, also using the reflection upon the water to his advantage. He was hardly uncomfortable in this situation, but found it odd that Mia should wish to stand with him. They had hardly spoken to each other over the entire course of knowing one another, and he was rather indifferent about establishing any sort of relationship with the demure woman beside him.

"Have… Have you spoken to Jenna yet?" Mia asked shakily, the words coming out in a jagged manner that contrasted the serene atmosphere.

Felix said nothing at first, only continuing to watch the water with his stern gaze. Without a word, he slowly shook his head, grunting as he did so. Speaking to his sister now would only give her reason to worry unnecessarily. She had enough going on in her life, what with her upcoming wedding, and did not need something to bring down her spirits.

"I see," Mia said with an understanding tone. The two fell into silence yet again, neither sure whether an exchange of words was necessary at the moment. Despite the calming atmosphere of the pond and cherry blossoms, both adepts felt the tension within themselves.

Unspecified amounts of time passed as the two stood in tense silence, and the sky was soon painted with an array of reds and oranges to replace the blue: a watercolour painting in the sky. It was certainly beautiful, more beautiful than many of the sights Felix had had the luxury of experiencing in his life, and yet each memorable moment only added to his pessimistic outlook. No matter how beautiful the sunset, it only served as a reminder that another day had gone by, and that these blossoms were that much closer to disappearing.

"It'll be sad when they're gone," Mia spoke for the first time in a while. Felix cast her a rather uninterested look, to which she continued speaking, "The cherry blossoms, I mean. They're wonderful to look at. It's such a shame that their lifespan is so short."

Felix watched as a few petals lightly brushed past Mia's face, fluttering about as they came into contact. Her skin seemed so smooth, almost as she herself were as delicate as a cherry petal. Looking away, he roughly crossed his arms as he stared blankly into the distance.

"I hate them," he growled, not bothering to take in his companion's feelings. "They're just a reminder of how quickly things come and go. I can't stand having to put up with something so weak. It'd be better if they didn't exist."

"Felix…" Mia began, but stopped herself, knowing that anything she might try to say would only hurt both of them. It was clear he wasn't only referring to the cherry blossoms; in fact, it made more sense to assume that he hadn't been thinking about them at all, given the circumstances. She wished she didn't know the reason for his pain, wished she hadn't been the one to discover it herself, wished that it wasn't real, but it was. It was as real as the man standing before her, and nothing she could say or do at this point would help.

Another silence ensued as a starry blanket cast itself over the sky, illuminating the pond at which the two adepts stood surrounded by cherry trees. The light of the moon reflected itself off of the petal-covered waters, and the absence of wind left the scene in an eerie stillness.

Felix coughed a couple of times as the nightly chill began to set in. Balling his hand into a fist, the leather scrunched as it was rubbed against itself.

"I want to grow something."

Mia was caught off-guard, and looked at the man with confusion. He continued to gaze straight off into the distance, his dark eyes focused on nothing in particular. His odd statement was accompanied by a forlorn, melancholic expression, though she could tell that he was attempting to mask it with his natural face. Despite his best efforts, Mia knew that he was fighting internally with his mixed emotions. It was only made worse by the fact that she knew she could do nothing for him.

"Wouldn't something of that nature be a trifling task for you?" she asked, choosing to ignore his expression and the randomness of his statement. "You could grow something without batting an eye."

"No," he responded simply, keeping his gaze locked on the nightly horizon. "That would defeat the purpose of growing it. I want to plant something that will grow to be strong, something that will serve as a reminder that hard work can pay off in the long run. I'll do it by hand, the way nature would intend."

While his words sounded uplifting and full of resolve, Mia could not help but feel saddened by his proclamation. What he said was only a sad metaphor for what he could not do, could not be. She knew it as well as he did, but she also knew that to dissuade him would do more harm than good. His determination was what she wanted to see, wanted to feel, wanted to know firsthand. If this was to be his goal, then she wanted to assist him in this endeavour and any other he may wish to fulfill.

"If you'd like," she began slowly, keeping her gaze down as she pigeon-toed in slight embarrassment, "I-I could…help you…"

Felix glanced over to her as a small feeling of guilt washed over him. His intention was not to make her feel responsible for being the one to discover his cause for pain. There was no one to fault, for it was unforeseeable and nothing could be done. He wanted to let her know that she didn't have to worry about him and that everything would be all right, but he couldn't. Those were the words of powerless reassurance, and they meant nothing when he knew that things would not be all right. She knew better than he did, in fact, and his false bravery would only serve to show his own weakness.

"You don't need to feel obligated," he responded after a while, speaking in the same gruff manner he had been for this entire time. "Just because I-"

"It's not that," Mia cut him off, giving him a serious look. She cowered back a bit, however, when he turned to face her as well. "I thought that…that maybe it would be helpful if I assisted, that's all. You might have a natural green thumb, but growing things is easier when you have direct control over the water supply."

Felix paused, taking in her words as he determined the best way to move forward. Her help would be appreciated, but this was something he needed to prove to himself. This was how he would find salvation from his own inadequacy, his own lack of strength. He had to believe that his will was still strong, even if his body could not prove itself to the feats of his mind.

"You don't have to be alone," Mia spoke before he could make up his mind. "In fact, you're not alone, Felix, not anymore." With her lips curled up in a bashful smile, she nervously took his hand in hers, only gripping tight enough to keep them from falling from each other. "I'll help you see this through, not because I feel that I have to, but because I want to. I want to know you. I know the leader of the adept heroes, so now I want to know Felix, as a man and as a friend."

A chill ran up his spine as he listened to her words, forcing a cough out of him. He hardly knew Mia, but he knew enough to know that this was an extremely bold move coming from her. She genuinely wanted to help him, not just because the others could not, but because she really wanted to. There was no sense of obligation or guilt in her voice, and the grasp of her hand was so gentle that he would not have noticed her touch through his glove if he could not see it for himself.

"Okay," he said plainly, nodding slightly as he shut his eyes. "We'll grow something…together. Something strong and lasting: a tree." Holding out his free hand and concentrating, a greenish-gold glow began to emanate from his fist. His muscles tensed, and the blood vessels in his arms began to bulge on the surface of his skin. He was exerting more psynergy on this than would normally be required, but that knowledge only spurred him to continue. Just as the strain in his arm muscles began to give out, Felix relaxed his mind and opened his palm to reveal a pair of helicopter seeds.

"We'll grow this: a maple tree."

Gripping his hand slightly tighter, Mia smiled as she looked at the pair of seeds in his hand.

"Yes, we will. Together."

_Where goes the soul of a flower after it has wilted and gone away? Can a being lacking in sentience truly have a soul? To have a soul is to exist and to exist is to be. Can there exist a soul without being or a being without a soul? What must truly be pondered and questioned, though, is simple: Is a soul not simply an existence without being or rather a being that lacks existence…_

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Well, it's short, but I wasn't planning on this having long chapters or anything. So there it is, chapter one of three. I think partway through it lost what should have been the artistic value that I was going for, but that's probably because having dialogue kills that a bit. Not to say that artistic stuff can't include dialogue, but it's a little easier when there isn't any. Even monologue can kill it a bit… Either that or I just thought it did while I was writing.

Anyway, not much to say, all the chapters will follow this format (though I haven't decided if each little italicized section will be about existence or if it'll be something new each chapter). Lemme know what you thought, and don't hold back on pointing out any issues (pacing, descriptiveness, etc.).

Thanks for reading and please review!

_-GengaJupite_


	2. Present: Sapling

I have too many ideas for multi-chaps running around my brain… I wish I could write them all, but I've already found that writing two at once is taxing enough, so I can't even imagine what trying more than that would be like. I'll have two more started up as soon as I finish this threeshot and my FE fic, but there are still three more on top of those two that I want to write, not to mention the fact that I'm sluggishly still sort of working on my crossover fic as well…

Disclaimer: Refer to chapter one

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_~Present: Sapling~_

_Time: a vector that moves in only one direction. Time does not accelerate, nor does it decelerate. It brings about the end to all things, capturing eternity as it slowly progresses forward. All things exist within space-time, and all fall victim to the dimension that endlessly consumes…_

How long ago had the seed been planted? One month? Two? A year? Even longer? Felix had no idea; time had become an arbitrary term after the cherry blossoms were gone. Perhaps time itself had stopped, or was it he who had stopped while everything else moved on without him? Neither seemed preferable, but he knew it was one or the other.

The picturesque pond was still when he reached it, translucently reflecting the scene in which it had been placed. The clouds overhead lazily drifted by, their grey colour toying with the idea of rain. At any moment, the sky could collapse in a torrent of water, flooding the land from whence it originally came. Felix had always disliked rain, not because it prevented him from being outdoors but because it suffocated him. His only respite from having water surround him in all directions would be under the cover of the pathetic, flowerless cherry trees. He clicked his tongue at the irony as he turned away from the pond.

Squatting on the ground where some grass had been cleared, Felix examined the young tree sapling poking up from the dirt. Given that he had no idea how much time had passed, there was no way for him to know whether the tree was growing at a normal rate or not. The thin wooden trunk grew at a slightly crooked angle, barely reaching up past the Venus adept's abdomen. He was tempted to lop off the top so that he could count the rings, but restrained himself from doing so.

Reaching into a pouch by his waist, Felix retrieved a small tool and stooped over to aerate the soil. The brown dirt churned about, small flecks hopping up and sticking to his hand every now and then. The earth clung to him against his will, and he had found that it took more energy to prevent himself from manipulating the soil than it would to simply will it away. Felix had forgotten all sorts of things over the unspecified amount of time it had been since this ordeal began, but he remembered the reason he was growing this tree, and why it was so important that he not use psynergy to do so.

"Working hard?" a familiar voice asked from behind him. He did not need to look up to know that it was Mia approaching. "You never wait for me to head over here."

"I don't recall ever saying I would," he grunted back, keeping his attention focused on the dirt in front of him.

Why Mia had chosen to help him with this task was beyond his comprehension, and Felix had literally spent days on end wondering what her motives were. He had always preferred to work alone, as dragging others into his problems had only caused them pain and turmoil. Mia was no exception to this unfortunate phenomenon, so it made little sense as to why she would wish to help someone who he had caused distress.

Contrarily, Mia did not feel distressed, though her feelings could not be described as being very positive. She had promised to help him on that day three years ago, hoping to heal him of his scars and burdens, but ultimately finding herself unable to prevent the changes in him. Her goal had been to find out who he was as a person, but that was becoming more and more difficult with his growing pessimism and apathy for the world. With every day, Felix got weaker. With every day, Felix rejected the world more and more. With every day, Felix gave up his humanity in bits and pieces.

She wanted to deny the transformation she was seeing before her, but it was inevitable. There were many things he had simply forgotten or had no memory of ever occurring. On many occasions, she brought up Jenna and Isaac's marriage that had happened years ago, and each time Felix acted as though she were lying. Had he really severed himself from the world in such a way that he would forget even the most important of events? Why did it have to be this way? Was he truly ignorant of such things taking place around him, or had he selectively chosen to forget?

A raspy cough from Felix broke the healer from her thoughts, and she looked to see that he had moved to sit at the edge of the pond. Stepping towards the freshly aerated soil, Mia held her hand over the small plant and began sprinkling water down onto it. The droplets drizzled down, clinging to the leaves as they formed into small blobs upon the light foliage. She watched the pure beads roll off the leaflets and drop onto the soil, darkening the ground as it became saturated with her element.

Each bead of water that fell from the leaves hurt her to see. It was like a metaphor for how Felix constantly pushed away her attempts to help him. Like the tree, she had kept him standing but she was unable to assist him directly. The water represented her attempts to help him, and the leaves and bark of Felix's emotional exterior shielded him against the outer world, completely stopping any penetration that did not work from the bottom up.

Seeing that the soil had been saturated, Mia halted the flow of water and brought her hand down to her side. Looking forlornly at Felix staring at his own reflection in the still waters, she thought back on the day she promised to help him. He had seemed so much more willing to accept her help back then, but with all things stuck in the vortex that is time, his personality became warped and twisted into this dark creature that now sat before her. He needed her help now more than ever, but he was so unwilling to accept it that she was afraid of trying; however, giving up was out of the question. Strengthening her resolve for the umpteenth time in three years, Mia moved to sit beside him.

"How…are you feeling today?" she asked gently, her voice floating towards him like a cloud in the wind.

"The same as always," he responded flatly, flicking his eyes at her reflection on the water.

Did he really mean that, though? What did it mean to be 'the same as always?' Would that imply that it really was he who had stopped while time continued to flow without him? No, he had not stopped; he had simply started moving in the wrong direction.

Removing the glove on his right hand, Felix gazed at his open palm and traced the lines with his eyes. If he could perform palm readings, his lifeline would likely be faded and short by now. After all, the real Felix had died long ago, he was now only a shadow of his old self: a broken fragment that walked around in the body of the man who once called himself Felix. What right did he have to claim that he was still that same person?

"What am I?" he voiced aloud, pulling off his other glove so that he could see both hands.

"You're you, Felix," Mia said reassuringly, cautiously placing her hand onto his arm. "You've always been you, and you always will be you."

He flinched at her touch, but did not remove her hand from his arm. Why did she spend her time helping him? It almost frightened him how she would rather be with him than doing the things she wanted. Whatever she was hoping to achieve, she would not be able to do so while he was holding her back. Even after all this time, she was still practically a stranger to him. How long had he really known her? Perhaps it hadn't even been long at all.

"Then what are you?" he asked, finally turning so that his stony eyes could meet her soft blue irises. "_Who_ are you, Mia?"

Mia's gaze fell as his words pierced into her. Who was she? She didn't have any particular answer for such a question. She had a perfectly sound understanding of the person she was, the person she had been, the person she wanted to be, but to put that into words for someone else was something she could not do. How could she make him understand? To explain the type of person she wanted to be for him was more than she was able to do, especially if she had to make sure he knew.

"You shouldn't be getting so close to me," he said when she failed to provide him with an answer. "I'm not someone who can make you happy, and I definitely can't provide anything that you may be looking for. I'm just a failure of a person: too weak to help and too afraid to even try."

"Felix, I…"

"Mia, you know as well as I do that I can't take you forward in life. Look at me. How long has it been since we planted that thing? Questions like that aren't asked rhetorically, I really don't have a clue. Ever since that day, my mind has slowly begun to fail me. I wanted to grow like that tree over there. I wanted to prove that strength wasn't only something I could accomplish through physicality, but even my mind has become clouded with a haze of doubt and despair. I do the same thing every day, and yet I don't even know what it is I'm doing or the reason why anymore."

The air hung heavily between them, silence ensuing as the two adepts stared at each other by the edge of the pond. For the first time in three years, Mia could see the cracks in Felix's armour. He had shunned people away because he was afraid of holding them back. With no way of helping people move forward, he had isolated himself, living in solitude so that he might pass on without causing a stir.

"To be honest, I'm terrified," he continued, turning his gaze to the pond as a single rain droplet caused a ripple on the surface. "I don't know what to do with myself anymore. My life is a series of repeated actions. Over and over, it's always the same thing, and even though it never changes, time still keeps on moving forward. How long has it been since it all happened? How long have I been like this? How long _will_ I be like this? What will happen to me tomorrow, the day after, in a week, a month, a year? Can I even think that far ahead or will I be forced to remain forever in the present? I cannot move forward, Mia; I literally lack the capacity to do so."

The rain began picking up, descending upon the land in a barrage of cold droplets. Neither person moved as the water slowly began to soak their bodies. Mia watched as Felix began to shiver, though she could not be sure if it was because he was cold or if it was something else. He was so vulnerable, like a small child lost in the world he thought he knew. She felt her heart drop as he turned to face her, his eyes filled with sadness and despair.

"I'm suffocating, Mia," he whimpered in a tone that was so unlike the Felix she knew. "I'm trapped within my own body, unable to escape the walls of my own consciousness. I can't dream, I can't hope, I can't even look back and smile on all the happy times. Everything I've done is lost, trapped outside the realms of my own mind. I've become a slave of my own free will, and created a prison to house myself from going insane."

It didn't matter how he worded it or how many words it took for him to say it. Mia knew what the older man was trying to voice to her, what the walls of his mental prison would not allow him to say freely.

_Help me._

She was trying. She was trying so hard to help him, to nurture him, care for him, be there for him. She wanted to give him the optimism he lacked and use it as a key to unlock the restrictions he'd unconsciously placed on himself. She wanted to _be_ that optimism. His psyche was waning, and she was the only one who could help him, had been helping him, had the ability to help him.

For so long he'd been reaching out of the darkness, fruitlessly grasping at the light in front of his own eyes. With each day that passed, it slowly consumed him more and more in body, mind, and soul. The haze clouded his sight, weakened his body, consumed his hope, leaving an empty shell of the man he once was.

"You're not alone, Felix."

Rising to her feet and grasping his hand, she pulled the man up and closed the proximity between their bodies. She wanted to be the light that he was reaching for, desperately trying to grab hold of. She wanted to pull him out of the darkness and into her embrace, filling him with the light and warmth he was convinced he had lost. Pressed against his chest, the healer listened to his heartbeat. As it quickened from its slow pulse into a healthy, regular thumping, she smiled and stepped back from him. Her face grew hot as she realized how impulsive her move had been, but she did not falter in her stance as she led him under the cover of a tree.

"Even if no one else can stand by you, I'll continue it alone," she said, pulling out a small towel as she sat him down and began drying his hair. "I'll take care of you until the last possible moment. I'll make sure to free you from this cage."

He said nothing as she continued to dry him off, wiping down his stubbly face and working toward his shoulders. Why was she doing so much for him? Before that day, the two had almost no interaction, and suddenly she had become his caretaker. Was this necessary? He found her actions excessive at best and irritating at worst, yet he had run out of ways to push her away from him. No matter what he said or did, this blue-haired angel refused to leave him alone, even knowing that he could not be healed.

"I don't care that you won't be able to take me forward," she said as she finished patting down his shoulders. "You aren't the one who should be worrying about that. I'm going to be the one to take _you_ forward, Felix."

"I can only go so far," he coughed, keeping his eyes from meeting hers. "Eventually, you'll find that I cannot pass a certain point. It would be better to leave me where I am. You'll save yourself from the pain of bringing me."

"I will not," she stated flatly, grasping him by the shoulders as the rain began coming down harder. "Even if I have to carry you through the deepest pits of despair, I will make sure you progress further with me. I know I don't always say the right things, and sometimes I'm too shy to even help myself, but I know that I can help you if only you'll let me. Please, Felix."

She held out her hand in front of him, to which he stared at it questionably. He wanted to shout at her, tell her to leave him alone. It would only hurt her to stay with him, and she knew it too. That was what he could not understand. She knew he would only cause her pain and suffering, so why did she want to take him with her? Mia could not truly help him; no one could. To take her hand now would be to condemn her to a future of sadness and despair. He had lost all hope already; it would do no good to see her lose hers as well.

And yet, Felix could not seem to push her away any longer. Her hand was pure and white, the soft hand of an angel whose only goal was to retrieve people from the dark pits of despair. She was doing this out of the goodness of her heart, emitting a purity that could perhaps dispel some of the miasma that filled his soul. Mia's intentions were clear: she wanted him to continue with her because she wanted to see him hang onto hope.

His hand trembling, Felix slowly brought it up to Mia's. His arm felt heavy, and it took a significant amount of strength and willpower just to reach for her. Like a frightened child, he twitched back a few times but was ultimately able to rest his hand on top of her palm, allowing her to gently encircle her fingers around his hand. As she helped him to his feet, a new sensation crept into his body.

It was warm, like her smile.

The sensation found its way into his chest and slowly spread throughout his body, filling his insides with a tingling feeling. It felt so…familiar, nostalgic even. Felix had not experienced nostalgia in such a long time, the idea of it seemed so foreign now. No memories surfaced in his mind, yet the simple warmth of Mia's touch brought about this feeling of the past and all the good times he'd had.

Standing there hand in hand under the branches of the tree, the two adepts watched as the rain began to let up. Slowly but surely, a thin break in the clouds began to spread, bathing the pond area in a golden light. The leaves of the maple sapling lifted as if to take in the sunlight that was so readily available to them.

On that day, when the warm light of the heavens pierced the clouds and split the sky, some of the darkness in Felix's heart was dissipated. Stepping into the light of the sun, this newfound warmth and brightness gave him a sliver of hope. Glancing to his side, Mia still kept his hand in hers as she looked up to the parting clouds. He'd found a guiding light. Even if their time was short, he wanted to see all the places that she could take him.

"This won't end well, Mia," Felix said, though his voice had the slightest upward lilt to it. "You know it."

"Everything comes to an end eventually," she said, grasping his hand a bit more firmly. "When the time comes, I will accept the outcome without a heavy heart…"

_All things that exist in time will experience its loss. No such existence lasts unchanged forever, and time shall always continue to progress uniformly, shaping the very world in which these things exist. 'The end' is a nonexistent occurrence, for time will always continue even after such an 'end.' Only when time stops moving forever can there truly be an end, one in which all existence ceases to be…_

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Looks like I shifted the tone of the starting and ending paragraphs, so I suppose that means the last chapter will have a different one too. Kind of like how this one incorporates the theme of 'Existence,' I think I have a pretty good idea of how I'll incorporate 'Existence' and 'Time' into the final one.

So, anyone think they know what's going on with Mia and Felix? Like I said with the previous chapter, there are various hints throughout, so now you should have double the amount of clues as to what's going on, though I'm not sure how obvious they are. It'd be interesting to see what you think, and it'll all be revealed next chapter so there's no shame in guessing wrong.

Thanks to **Droory** for reviewing!

Thanks for reading and please review!

_-GengaJupite_


	3. Future: Tree

It's been so long since I started a new multi-chap that I'm almost feeling nervous about the two (possibly three [hoping to restrain myself from also doing a fourth]) I'll be doing after I post the epilogue to my FE one. The two I'll be writing for sure are for _Legend of Zelda_ and _Golden Sun_, with the possible third being _Kingdom Hearts_ and I won't even bother mentioning the fourth since I only have ideas but no plot. Ugh, I already said it last chapter but two was bad enough; why must my brain fill with ideas for three?!

Well, I'm sure you're all curious to see what's going on with Felix, so I'll stop rambling and get on it!

Disclaimer: Refer to chapter one

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_~Future: Tree~_

_What defines a destination? Does a destination signify the end of one journey or, conversely, the beginning of another? Because time does not end, does not have a destination, what, then, is the destination of a human soul? Can existence truly live on in the hearts and memories of others or is the destination of every soul met with the cold embrace of death…_

A warm spring breeze blew across the land, carrying with it the petals of the newly arrived cherry blossoms. Gently, they fluttered down around the vicinity of the pond. The silky smoothness of each petal was no rougher than the peaceful wind itself, and if not for the visual aspect of them, one would hardly be able to distinguish the touch of the wind from a cherry petal.

Standing strongly amongst the flurry of pink blossoms was a sole tree, its trunk situated only a short distance from the edge of the water. The green of its leaves were lush and healthy, accentuated by the colour of the bright blue sky and beautiful pink cherry petals. Every so often, a small grouping of helicopter seeds would twirl their way down from the branches, finding themselves hidden by the blossoms upon reaching the ground.

Stepping into the scene, Mia tucked a few strands of her long azure hair behind her ear. Falling blossoms fluttered around her pale dress, dancing around her legs as if to further enhance her beauty. She smiled as she looked up to the top of the tree she and Felix had started growing all those years ago. Even she had lost count of exactly how many years it had been; however, she had never failed in her promise to stay by his side every day.

Gracefully striding toward the base of the trunk, she placed a hand on its cool, wooden exterior. It had grown perfectly, if not a bit more quickly than anticipated. To reach such a great size, Mia knew that it would have taken somewhere around thirty to forty years, yet, despite being unaware of the exact amount of time, she knew that it had only been about twenty or twenty-one since they had planted it. Sometimes she wondered if Felix had subconsciously helped it grow, or if it were perhaps the unnaturally pure water she had given it. In any case, these reasons mattered not, for the great maple had grown to such a size that it no longer needed the assistance of the adepts to grow now.

"You must be glad," Mia said as she looked down to the base of the trunk where Felix had been lying the entire time. "It's taken quite a long time, but the tree has grown wonderfully, just like you wanted it."

He said nothing, remaining silent as Mia continued to admire the fruits of their labour. Though his face was hidden, she was certain that he was feeling at peace with their accomplishments. Kneeling down to brush some of the petals and seeds away from the trunk, Mia seated herself and relaxed as she leaned back against the tree.

"It's funny," she sighed, smiling as she closed her eyes, "for some reason, it feels as though I haven't seen you in a very long time. Isn't that strange? We see each other every day, talk to each other every day, and for the past few of years we've even had the luxury of being able to relax just like this, regardless of the weather."

Felix still remained silent, though Mia was not put off by his lack of communication; rather, she expected it to be this way. So much had changed for him, for the both of them, it would be difficult to imagine him acting in any other manner at this point. Over the years, the Venus adept had forgotten many things, losing potentially precious memories as time went on, though one thing the healer was certain of was that he had formed some sort of relationship with her. While his affections were expressed more subtly than most men's were, Mia cared not, choosing only to accept Felix for being the person that he was.

"Do you love me, Felix?" she asked, though she knew he would not answer; the question had been more of a voiced thought than anything else.

While she was by no means an old or what might be considered a 'mature' woman, asking such a question made the Mercury adept feel as though she were in the days of her youth once again. She was only in her late teens when this had all begun, and she had come to the conclusion that it was only natural that such feelings of youthfulness and nostalgia would fill her heart upon returning to this place each day. With all that had happened before planting this tree, it was hard to believe that this event had taken more than half of her life.

"This has all been so bittersweet," she sighed, opening her eyes to gaze at the white clouds as they drifted lazily across the ethereal sky. "We've accomplished so much together, but now that we're here, I'm not sure what we're supposed to do." Giggling slightly at her own musings, she shifted her gaze to where the pond perfectly reflected the sky she'd just been staring at. "I'm glad we did this together, though. Being able to grow this in such a beautiful place...it takes my breath away."

Mia began to feel her cheeks grow warm as her thoughts drifted to other topics. Despite feeling bashful, however, she could not stop her lips from curling into a smile, and she lightly clapped her hands to her cheeks from how silly she felt.

"I'd like to get married somewhere as beautiful as it is here; in fact, even having a wedding right here would be wonderful. It's so strange to say out loud but I'm almost forty years old. All of us from the Golden Sun event may not look nearly as old as we are, but I know that my priority right now should be getting married and starting a family. I suppose you could say that this tree…is like our first child, though I'm certain a human child will be much more difficult to raise."

Turning over so that she was now looking in Felix's general direction, Mia felt her smile falter a bit. She loved this tree, but there was something about it that she was unable to forget, unable to cast away. This tree, their 'child', had not been born or raised out of love; instead, its conception came about from pain and fear, and grew from the desire to fight against an inevitable fate. Mia knew this; she knew it well.

Yet for all that she knew, she could not stop loving this tree. It was not some mere representation of pain and loss, nor was it the child she had endearingly entitled it.

This tree was Felix.

She had said it before, numerous times when the plant was still small and weak. She was the water that would help him grow, but she had to find a way to help him from the bottom up, as his exterior hide shielded her from doing so directly. Progress was slow, but she was eventually able to find a way to his inner being, reaching his aching heart and soul. Was she able to help soothe it properly? That was a question even she could not answer.

"I'm sorry, Felix," she whispered, closing her eyes again. "I wish I could have been more helpful to you. I was here for you but…but you still ended up losing so much along the way… I couldn't be the one to free you from your agony. I know you've told me that I've done more for you than anyone else could have, but it still isn't enough. How could I have cared for you more? How could I have done things better?

…How could I have loved you more?"

Why did this always happen? She would come here to see him, her spirits high and her heart feeling full, but she would always fall into this state of sorrow. Even with the promise to care for him without a heavy heart, she simply was unable to prevent this pain. She, who had promised to be strong for him, be his rock, the one who would pick him up when he fell, had become the one now needing someone else to help her.

It was because of that day all those years ago, the day she found out about Felix's condition, the day that everything began to end. As her consciousness began to fade under the warmth of the afternoon sun, she allowed her mind to return to that fateful day, travelling back in time to when the final stage was about to be set.

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_It was an ordinary morning. The cherry blossoms had bloomed and floated lazily upon the spring breeze. Mia was taking a morning walk, as she often did, to watch the deep magenta of the sky fill with the vibrant colours of another majestic sunrise. This was her chance to escape from the bustle of people during the daytime, and she gladly took this opportunity to sit alone with her thoughts._

_Starting up the path on the hill, Mia smiled at the sights around her, making little noise so as not to disturb the resident fauna of the land. However, as she climbed higher up the snakelike path, she was met with a horrific sight._

"_Felix!" she cried, racing over to where the brunet man was collapsed on the path. As awful as it was, this was becoming a recurring incident with the Venus adept. Whether he would fully collapse or have frequent dizzy spells, his physical conditions had undoubtedly been getting worse since their return journey._

"_Mia," he groaned as she rolled him over, "I'll be fine. Don't worry about me."_

"_That's enough of that," she ordered, propping his head up on her legs as she knelt above him. "This has been happening too much for me to overlook any longer. You need medical help, Felix."_

"_The Great Healer says I just need rest."_

"_The Great Healer is delusional if he cannot understand that this has gone beyond the point of exhaustion or a lack of sleep."_

_Normally, Felix had the strength to deny her a chance to examine him properly, but it seemed that he really was out of energy this time around. Instead of healing him, as she would normally do in a similar situation, Mia decided that it would be best to see what was wrong before giving him the strength to fight back. Firmly but gently she placed her hands on either side of his head. Some sort of mental fatigue was likely causing this, so it would be best to start from his head._

_Her body lightly glowing blue, Mia shut her eyes to intrinsically assess Felix's symptoms. This was a power somewhat akin to the Jupiter adepts' Mind Read, but instead of being able to read his thoughts, Mia was able to see the root of people's illnesses. While she suspected there to be some sort of cranial damage affecting his sleep patterns and energy-psynergy levels, she had no idea what to think with what she saw._

_A vortex. Like a microscopic black hole, Mia watched as cells from Felix's brain were individually swallowed by the darkness. Every so often, Felix's brain would glow gold, as if he were trying to cast psynergy, but because of his weakened state, most of the golden colour was stripped from the cells and eaten by the vortex. Even watching it for a short time, Mia could feel her vision blurring, as if her own power were being sucked away by the tiny vortex inside of Felix._

_Unsure of what she could do about it, the healer attempted to cast Ply. As the external blue glow flowed in small, snakelike rivers of light, the vortex swallowed the light into its shadowy depths._

_Exiting her internal view of Felix's cranium, Mia found that her heart was pounding, and it felt like all the air had been taken from her lungs. What was that thing? How had it gotten there? Was Felix even aware that such a dangerous thing was inside of him?_

_Was he going to die?_

_Mia shook as she looked back down at Felix, who had passed out once again. Could it be possible that he knew? No, if he were aware of such a thing, then he would likely be devoting all his time and energy to finding a cure. This was not something Felix knew about._

_With no other option, Mia struggled to hoist Felix's arms around her shoulders and made her way back into town as quickly as she could. She had to take him to the sanctum as soon as possible. Though she was qualified as a Great Healer, if not more so than the actual holder of said position in this town, she had never seen something of this nature. It was unlikely that the Great Healer would have either, but for him to keep this a secret from Felix was unforgivable._

_Panting as she burst through the sanctum doors, Mia made her way to the altar and somewhat roughly laid Felix before the unfazed healer before her._

"_Would you care to explain what exactly is going on?" Mia demanded the elderly man, placing a hand on her hip._

_The Great Healer gazed back at her with his cloudy eyes, seemingly unaffected by having Felix suddenly thrust onto the altar before him. "There is nothing to explain, Lady Mia. While I had not expected to see one appear so soon after the Golden Sun, nor especially from within someone, there were ancient texts describing such things. Indeed, this is rather unexpected, but it is not at all surprising."_

"_Don't speak as if I know what you're talking about! Why is there a vortex inside of his brain?"_

_The Great Healer sighed and looked down at the Venus adept, who was beginning to awaken. "I suppose I can no longer keep this hidden, though I would have preferred others not to find out. I have known Felix since he was a child, and this will only cause him grief. Knowing that, do you still wish for me to continue?"_

_Mia nodded, unable to fully grasp the consequences of what might happen now that Felix was conscious enough to hear what was going on._

"_As you have just seen, there is a microscopic vortex within Felix. When it first appeared, I was shocked beyond belief and, try as I might, I knew of no methods to remove such a catastrophe. In the first age of Weyard, before Alchemy was sealed, the ancient texts speak of vortexes much like this one. They feed on psynergy and disappear once the immediate area has been drained._

"_I told Felix to rest, as I believed he could trick the vortex into believing it had consumed its fill of psynergy. Because it is so small, however, the vortex was able to continue feeding on even the slight amounts emitted by the brain while unconscious._

"_Why did I refrain from telling anyone about this? Because it would only cause fear and unrest amongst everyone who caught wind of the situation. This is the first recorded event of a vortex ever appearing within someone, but it is a tragic fate. As I have stated before, it will not disappear until all psynergy is drained from the immediate area. I am sure both of you have already pieced together what this means for Felix. I apologize, but even the greatest of healers cannot remove that which consumes our powers."_

_Mia could not believe what she was hearing. How was such a fate possible? It couldn't be. For an adept, psynergy was not just what differentiated them from a regular human, it was the very sustenance that provided them with life! Ordinary people had their own systems of staying alive, relying very little on the natural traces of psynergy within themselves, so something like this would have little, if any, effect on them. But Felix was not an ordinary human; he was an adept._

_And because of that, he was now on a timer._

_Mouth partially hanging open, Mia watched as Felix slowly sat up and slid himself off the altar. He had to have known something was wrong, but to discover that his life force would slowly be drained until he eventually died was truly awful. Unable to react properly, Mia simply watched as the Venus adept headed to the exit and ran off._

_She didn't know what to do. Mia had never felt this helpless before. Anything she could try would ultimately fail. Her only means of helping him would be to use psynergy, but if the cause of his problem stopped psynergy from being of use, then it would be impossible to do anything. The vortex would grow with time, consuming more than just his psynergy as it did. He would feel physically weakened and mentally fatigued, losing memories along with his wavering strength, and it would likely begin to affect his health as well._

_And there was nothing, literally nothing, that she could do about any of it._

_Without a word, Mia quietly made her way out of the sanctum. She wanted to find him, but finding him would only make the situation more uncomfortable. No, she needed to think. Was there anything she could do? Anything at all to ease his suffering would suffice. She had hardly spoken to Felix at all, and yet she wanted to help him, even if there was nothing she could do. There was no telling how long he had, so she had to do whatever it took to make him feel at peace, even if she had to do the impossible._

_With that in mind, she headed off to think at the hill: the hill with the pond where the cherry blossoms bloomed._

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"Mia."

It was his voice, the deep, warm voice she'd been longing to hear since she arrived at the pond. He said her name so softly, but there was strength behind it, even if he no longer had the strength to do much of anything on his own.

"Felix," she breathed out slowly, her eyes clouded by sleep as she opened them halfway.

"Mia, before you say anything, promise me you won't apologize for not being able to do anything for me. You've done more for me than anyone else ever could have hoped to over these past twenty years."

"But…but I couldn't," she said sadly, just barely being able to make out his brownish silhouette through her blurred vision. "I wanted to do more, wanted to be more. Felix, I…I wasn't enou-"

"Yes, you were." She felt his arms circle around her upper torso from where she was lying. Her face was pressed into his chest, and she could breathe in his scent, something she had not had the opportunity to do in what felt like an eternity. "When the others found out, they could only offer their condolences. Even my sister and family, whom I love so dearly, couldn't do for me what you did. I feel freed thanks to you, Mia. I was afraid, and you released me from my mind's prison. You were the air that allowed me to breathe, the ground that kept me standing, the fire that warmed my heart, and the water that sustained my life. I was trapped in a dark miasma, but your light shone through and pulled me out when I was most in need. Mia, I don't ever want to hear you say you weren't enough for me."

She could feel her eyes begin to water, so she buried her face further into his shirt, hoping to stop him from seeing her cry. His embrace tightened around her as she trembled in his arms. He was so kind to her, too kind to her. He had made it so clear throughout the years that she would be happier if she hadn't stayed by his side, done what everyone else had done and left him with naught but their condolences, but she wasn't able to do it. She had to stay with him, it had become more than an obligation or the need to help him find peace; she didn't know any other way to live than by his side.

"Mia, do you love me?" he asked the same question that she had asked before.

She didn't want to answer. She knew she loved him, he knew she loved him, so to answer would only make this time with him end sooner. She couldn't deal with that, but she couldn't leave his question hanging. She loved him more than anyone else, and it was for that reason that she found answering so difficult, so unbearably painful.

Nodding her head while still pressed against him, she shakily tried to form the words without sobbing as she did so. "F-Felix…I…I do love you… I want to stay with you like this forever, keeping you at an arms length. I want you to strengthen my resolve whenever I feel like breaking down. I want you, no, I _need_ you here to keep me safe when I'm vulnerable."

Though she couldn't see his face, she could almost feel his smile radiating from his body. How could he be so happy at a time like this? Every word that escaped her lips was only stalling the inevitable. She could not keep him any longer simply by saying how she felt. If her feelings had the ability to make him stay, then he would never be able to leave her side, but she knew that feelings were not enough.

"Mia…thank you," he muttered softly as he rubbed her back. "You truly have no idea how much I've wanted to hear you say that. I feel exactly the same way for you: I love you, Mia, with everything I have. And it's because of that that I don't want you to cry for me anymore. I want to see you smile each and every day, living your life happily without having me constantly plaguing your mind. When you think of us, I want you to feel happy, filled with the exact same warmth you showed me."

As the last words escaped his lips, Mia felt his arms release her from his grip. Desperate to keep him there, she clung to his shirt, wanting to stay with him longer, even if only for a moment. "Felix, please don't go!"

"Let it go, Mia," he said softly, his gloved hands gently wrapping around her wrists. "I've found my peace, now you have to go find yours. Look back on our time together with fondness, but don't let it keep you from moving forward. You've taken me farther than I could have hoped to go. Don't make me the anchor that holds you back; that is my only request."

With little effort, he plucked her hands from his shirt and briefly slid both of his hands to wrap around one of hers. Through blurred vision, she opened her teary eyes to have one last look at the man she'd fallen so deeply in love with. His long hair and dark eyes looked just the same as always. His face was unshaven and his clothing was a bit tattered, but this was the image of Felix she had always known, and the one she never wanted to forget. As she blinked her tears away, she watched his lips mouth one final word to her as they curled into a smile.

"Goodbye."

A flash of sunlight momentarily blinded her, and the warmth of his hands disappeared in her moment of blindness. In that split second, Felix had vanished right before her, not a trace of him ever being there to be seen.

Sitting up from where she had been lying, Mia looked to the trunk of the tree where a small stone tablet sat, engraved with Felix's name, a short elegy, and the dates from when he was born and died. A small patch of flowers grew in front of it, though no one had ever planted them. While most could only speculate, Mia was certain that their sudden growth and the extreme growth of the tree were all courtesy of Felix, a last act from beyond the grave.

Even in the past two years that he had been gone, Mia never stopped coming to see him. Every day, she had made sure to visit his grave and tend to the tree, even when it no longer needed her. It was no longer just a tree or a representation of Felix's pain; it was Felix himself.

As she stood at the base of the tree, wiping the last few tears from her eyes, Mia opened her hand to see a bundle of helicopter seeds placed in her hand. Realizing it was the same hand that Felix had been holding before leaving her for the final time, Mia smiled in a bittersweet fashion. Carefully opening a pouch hanging by her side, she tucked the seeds into one of the pockets and closed it.

Kneeling before the small grave and saying a few words, Mia stood and turned to leave the pond. It would be a slow and difficult process, but she wanted to fulfill Felix's final request. She would continue to visit him each and every day, but she would do her best to move forward without him. Just as the maple tree's trunk would steadily grow closer to the unmoving pond, so, too, would she grow and move slowly toward her own final destination.

With baby-like steps, Mia slowly made her way away from the pond. Making sure not to force a smile, she vowed that any and all the things she did from that day forward would be done genuinely. She would not forget the pain of losing Felix, nor would she forget the overflowing joy that his love had given her.

There at the maple tree, their love first began. There at the maple tree, their love slowly grew. There at the maple tree, their love had reached its peak.

And there, at the most beautiful spot Mia knew, where the roots could touch the water of the pond, Felix lay at peace under the maple tree they had grown together.

_Where the destination proves the end for one, it may reveal the beginning for others, thus a destination is but a marker in one's life, showing only the times in which one has found a reason to exist, a reason to live, and a reason to find their own ending. In time, this ending may be forgotten, unseen and unfelt by the new world that has become host to new existences, but they, too, shall move toward their own destinations, and only with every existence can the strands of eternity be woven together to form the path that leads from the past, through the present, and into the future._

* * *

Well, what should I say? Honestly, it's only a threeshot, so I don't have as much to say about it as I would an actual multi-chap. That being said, I tried to treat this as much like a multi-chap as I could. Oh and if you plan on reviewing, should I change the 'Hurt/Comfort' to 'Tragedy' or leave it as is? I couldn't decide…

Heh, I feel like I might come off as being somewhat brusque, possibly even vulgar, for saying this, but all those italicized sections at the beginning and ending of each chapter were completely pulled out of my ass. Half the time I had no idea what I was writing, I just wrote something down and went "Okay, that sounds somewhat artistic." I mean, if it worked, great, but if not, I'm not too concerned :P. On the topic of those things, usually I would end a story (including oneshots) with _The End_ but I figured that it would almost be contradictory to say that after the concluding paragraph there.

Initially, I didn't mean for that final Mia-Felix bit to be so…sappy, but I figured that, with the way I'd been writing everything else in this story, sappy probably worked best. Regardless, I got what I wanted out of this, which was to write a (hopefully) artistic story with subtle romance (subtle in the fact that they don't really do anything until that last scene) and a bittersweet ending. Then there's also symbolism and all that junk, but I won't bother counting how many purposeful and accidental symbols, metaphors, and similes I've got in here.

Oh, and just in case anyone is confused what happened, here's a quick summary. After the GS event, Felix was constantly having dizzy spells and collapsing to the point where Mia figured it was more than just exhaustion. She found a microscopic psynergy vortex inside his brain, and because it was consuming psynergy, there would be no way for her or anyone else to get rid of it. Basically, it took a little less than twenty years for it to fully drain Felix's life, taking certain memories and his health while he was still alive. Felix was never physically in this last chapter, as he had already died two years prior. The exchange with Mia was sort of a supernatural final farewell from him.

Thanks to the **Guest, Droory, **and** May-Tears** for reviewing! **Droory**, since you guessed wrong what Felix's pain was all about, you now _have_ to read the Mia Alex one.

Thanks for reading and please review! Also keep an eye out for my upcoming multi-chap (info for it is on my page).

_-GengaJupite_


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